Contrary to information given last summer, a bid was actually made for the Rinella film studios, but it was deemed to be technically non-compliant.

Tourism Minister Konrad Mizzi was asked a series of parliamentary questions by Nationalist MP Simon Busuttil about the government’s attempts to sell the studios.

A call for expressions of interest was made in December 2015, and five companies replied, all of which went through to the second phase. The Malta Film Commission, which is currently running the film studios, issued a request for proposals in September 2016, which invited all five to submit bids.

Read: No formal bids for film studios in Rinella

The five were Golden Zephyr of the United States, two Italian companies – Island Productions and Sefat Spa – and Pinewood and Mediante, both from the UK.

It turns out from the PQ that Golden Zephyr did indeed submit a bid – however, this turned out to be technically non-compliant, Mr Mizzi said.

Asked whether the government still intended to privatise the facility, Mr Mizzi said the tanks were of strategic importance for the country and various ways to use there were being evaluated.

Built in the 1970s, the facilities returned to the government only in 2014 after a nine-year-long legal battle over unpaid rent which had left the Land Department out of pocket by €1.4 million.

A private company owned by entrepreneur Jost Merten had been given a 65-year concession to run the facilities in 1995. Over the years, the company accumulated massive debts and repeatedly failed to pay its dues to the government according to the concession agreement.

Major productions were filmed at the Rinella water tank, including Raise the Titanic, Christopher Columbus, U-571, Troy and most recently Pirate Pete and the Sea Monster.

Following a court decision four years ago, the government had said the property would be turned into a “city for the film industry”, offering all necessary services. Plans were later changed and a decision was made to privatise the facilities.